Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I've always loved their sound. This was one of the first albums I ever bought.
Not a bad album for the time. Not for me, but not bad.
Every song on the original track listing felt identical. And after a while, it just started to sound like a wall of noise.
I kind of get why this is included in the list because it's influential or something like that but damn, it's soooooooo booooooooring. Every song sounds the same and it's just plain wack.
Heard the title track a bunch but none of the other ones. Not for me.
I sometimes wonder why they didn’t do better in America. W mean we were fine with other British bands, the Beatles, the Stones etc. I think it’s because the others didn’t use phrases like “Bloody well right” which brings out our inherent xenophobia. I give it a four. Three for the music and one for the nostalgia
A succession of beautiful, mellow tunes. Dylan cover or not, "Mr. Tambourine Man" blew my little 15-year-old mind off when I first heard it. I admire how The Byrds are able to put their spin on any song in here — regardless of genre. They've got a gentle, ethereal quality to them, like a kitten curled up on an eiderdown :')
8/10…folk-country-rock
Whatever happened to short, easygoing pop tunes? An album like this makes you appreciate just how effective a "simple" album can be. The Byrds show up here to deliver an absolute powerhouse of 60s pop that's so inoffensive, you can hear just how good a time this band was having making quality music together.
Come for the tambourine, stay for that sweet Rickenbacker 12-string jangle.
1. tambourine - 1.5 2. better - 1 3. harlem - 1 4. cry - 1.5 5. here - 1.5 6. bellz - 1 7. really - 1 8. kneuu - 1.5 9. uze - 1 10. doubt - 1 11. chimez - 1 12. again - 1 13. uuay - 1 14. feel - 1 15. uze - 1 16. cry - 1 17. really - 1 18. me - 1
The scale of the Beatles influence is very notable and I have to say it’s just as well they were known for the Dylan cover because their own compositions are not especially memorable in their own right. At this point the blend of folk with British Invasion sounds is mostly the latter. The other surprising thing for a modern listener is the inaccuracy of so much of the playing on this album. It’s amazing, even by the standards of the day, how many fluffed notes and just mediocre playing made it through the editing process, if there was one. No wonder The Wrecking Crew were wheeled in to make Mr Tambourine Man work. The cover of We’ll Meet Again is comically bad. The choice of the Rickenbacker 12 string adds that distinctive and famous Byrds jangle and the harmonies are good enough. Overall this sounds like an optimist demo tape and I can only assume they got signed on the strength of their take on Mr Tambourine Man.
Groovy.
This is a good era album. Solid 3/5
I like the Byrds. I am not opposed to jangle, in fact I enjoy it for the most part. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is one of my favorite albums. But I don’t get much out of this. Mr. Tambourine Man does not strike me as an album you must hear before you die. It is more like an album by a band that would go on to do much more interesting things later on.
Not really digging this album. it sounds generically like lots of things from the 60s but doesn't have the interest that I get from bands like The Who. meh, boring.
Ok
Good album, plenty of interesting interpretations of Dylan
Cover band
Beatles Lite.
Very jangly guitars, classic 60's rock
You can definitely feel the fact that some of the members met during a beatles cover band. Solid album that feels uplifting, worth a listen
4.5. Amazing that this is the same band that makes Sweetheart of the Rodeo a few years later.
4/5
I like these covers more than Dylan’s originals.
Dylan is better when Dylan is not being sung by Dylan. A 60s classic.
By statistical anomaly, I am well over two thirds finished with this project and somehow this is the first album that I've gotten by The Byrds. I've heard plenty of the subsequent projects from band members Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Gram Parsons, with the vague idea that they were all once part of this band, at varying times. Listening to it this after hearing those others, it feels a bit like discovering a supergroup in reverse. This has certainly met the high expectations that I've had for the Byrds. Here is the begining of American folk rock, combining the working class traditions of Bob Dylan (who wrote four out of these twelve tracks), with the modern rock style of early Beatles. During this period, the British Invasion dominated the music sales, until "Mr Tambourine Man" broke through. It's only their debut, but it would prove to be a massive influence on American music for decades, inspiring everyone from Simon and Garfunkel, Jeff Airplane, and R.E.M., all the way to the early 2000s and Wilco. While today The Byrds are less a household name than Dylan or the Beatles, but they definitely earned an important place in music history through their contributions. This album still hopes up extremely well, but in the context of the mid-60s, this must have been a very exciting album.
Some good stuff here, but it all sounds the same and gets pretty boring. Also, WAY too many Byrds albums on this list!
Another reminder of what a seismic shift Pet Sounds and Sgt Peppers were. This whole thing sounds kind of the same - which is a distinctive enough thing, but by the end I'm hanging for some variation.
The vocals are pretty, but flaccid. The jangly guitar grates after awhile. It’s harmless but also not all that interesting.
Great record. Incredibly influential band.
Top Classic
1965 was a turbulent year for music. The Beatles had just invaded America and Dylan had gone electric (Judas!). The hippies were making their way to San Francisco and amongst them were the Byrds who bought all of these elements together with this album. The songs are a mix of Dylan covers, folk standards and original songs, with the most recognisable element being the jangly 12 string Rickenbacker guitar that is the centrepiece of their sound. This album fed back into the musical zeitgeist, influencing Dylan’s nascent electric sound as well as the Beatles themselves with the riff from The Bells of Rhymney being a direct inspiration for George Harrison’s guitar on If I Needed Someone. The only slightly bizarre misstep is the final track which is a version of Vera Lynn’s wartime classic We’ll Meet Again, which obviously has a very different cultural impact in the UK.
I wasn't so familiar with the Byrds. They sound like something in-between the Beatles and Bob Dylan, with more... jangle?
While I've grown to appreciate the Byrds with each one of their entries on this list, this may be my least favorite of theirs so far. It's all very straightforward and boilerplate when compared to their other works, which makes sense, given this is a debut and all. The draw here is their cover of Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' which doesn't hold a candle to the original. Their cover of 'My Back Pages' was infinitely better. An enjoyable listen, just not one with too many standout moments or anything.
Beautiful harmonies and interesting arrangements.
Somebody had been listening to their Beatles as well as their Dylan records. As sixties as you can get
Poppier than the later stuff but in a good way. It definitely reminds me of early Beatles, in that it's just very fun.
David Crosby, no está mal este álbum.
3eme album avec D. Crosby proposé avec le générateur, premier album avec ce groupe. Cet album n'est pas plus intéressant qu'en solo, ou avec Stills and Nash, à part peut être le son de la guitare 12 cordes. Pas désagréable donc mais je n'y reviendrais pas. Aucun morceau ne m'as marqué. =>2/5
é.......... não é mto oq eu tava esperando q fosse ser (é mais repetitivo e chato)
metade das música são cover de BOB DYLAN versão rockzinho sessentista. bizarro. no mais, as originais deles são normais, meia boca.
It is becoming apparent that I like 60s music. I enjoyed this album. nothing too crazy, just some good tunes and a good sound. Best tunes: mr. tambourine man, i’ll feel a whole lot better, you won’t have to cry, here without you, i knew i’d want you, it’s no use
That was hard to listen to & it was only 30-minutes! Like the original name of the band JET SET. Interesting to note that this LP was released in both mono and stereo.
great jingle jangle
It was alright, nothing really stood out other than Mr Tambourine man
Alright. Product of it's time. 2.5/5
Jingle jangle Dylan.
you know, what it would actually sound like if a man equipped only with a tambourine played a song for you?
listened while on a walk on a beautiful saturday afternoon. loved it 🙂↕️
Mmm... "Bob Dylan cover band"? There's some weight behind that argument with 1/3rd of the songs on here penned by Bob. He must have been happy with the royalties. There's a bit more, though. The genesis of folk-rock, perhaps? There are pre-cursors of psychedelia too. This is important, influential; even if I don't particularly enjoy it. No-one really needed the Vera Lynn cover at the end. Epic fail. Minus a point for that. 3/5
Fifth Dimension and The Notorious Byrd Brothers have grown on me a decent bit, but I still feel pretty similarly about this one. Some very good stuff, especially “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”, but I’m not the biggest McGuinn fan and this one is particularly McGuinn-heavy. I think Side B is also a bit of a drag, especially the awful “All I Really Want to Do” cover. “Chimes of Freedom” redeems it a bit, though, even though I’ll still take the version with all the words over this one any day. 3.5/5
Chill. Feels like Fall.
I don't think this was a great album, especially as the best songs seemed to be the Dylan covers
Not really into this genre, particularly from this era. “Mr. Tambourine Man” is not a bad cover, but I prefer the original and even other covers over this one. It’s a little boring, but listenable. It’s a good attempt at being like The Beatles.
The whiplash of going from Public Enemy ending Fear Of A Black Planet with "Fight The Power" to The Byrds opening this with a jangly "Mr. Tambourine Man" was jarring. Anyway, The Byrds do a lot of Dylan for their first album, is it that great? good? passable? Meh... It's only saving grace is its punchy play time, 18 songs in 44 minutes, a lot of bang for your buck. Funny fact, "The Bells Of Rhymney" came up as "Hey Jealousy" by The Gin Blossoms on my phones ambient "now playing" display
It's ok. McGuinn's Rickenbacker 12-string is a signature sound, so there's that. Liked Songs Added: Mr. Tambourine Man All I Really Want To Do
I don't like this very much. They Byrds were more IMPORTANT than they were GOOD, in my opinion, especially in these pre LSD years.
It's remarkable to me that a band that wasn't quite ready for studio recording and that filled their debut album with lots of covers (mostly by Dylan) that would become their most requested songs, were able to (a) even get this album produced, (b) able to convince the producer that they were ready to be recorded (but not before their title track was played and recorded with studio musicians), and (c) become a huge influence and inspiration to US musicians for years afterwards. I think this is the first time I've heard anything from this album aside from their two famous singles "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "I'll feel a whole lot better". Their apparently-pioneering "folk rock" sound isn't really my kind of style, and they're remarkably consistent across the album with their jangly harmonies, so it's hard to pick out any favorites. I enjoyed their cover of Pete Seeger's "The bells of rhymney", the interesting Vera Lynn throwback "We'll meet again" (mainly because it made me think of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" more than "Dr. Strangelove"), and their cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is so familiar it's hard to ignore. However, the title track is definitely *not* one of the better Dylan covers, much like all of the Byrds' Dylan covers, sadly; they seem so intent on capturing the tone and style of Dylan's originals that they don't add anything interesting to the songs. This makes for #2 of 5 Byrds albums for me, so only 40% of the way through....
Giving it a 3 solely on the strength of "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better"
I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better is the best song on here by quite some distance. The Dylan songs just made me wish Dylan was singing them. A low three; marginally better than other Byrds efforts.
Zoetgevooisde hippiemuziek met de bloemen in het haar en het hitje van de tamboerijnman. Spannender dan dat wordt het niet, het kabbelt verder in één tempo. Leuk tijdsbeeld, maar het is stiekem niet meer dan dat.
Gezapige jaren '60 klanken. Luister het direct na The Kinks. En dan zit er toch een flink gat tussen de twee albums. Ik erger me nu continue. En dan begint en eindigt het album met twee van mijn grootste muziekergernissen. Wellicht versterkt doordat ik deze veel te vaak aan moest horen. Een onafgeronde 1.
Beatlesque en Dylanesque samengevoegd, dan krijg je the Byrds. Het album begint gelijk met het heerlijke gitaargeluid van de titeltrack en dan hebben ze me toch wel aardig te pakken. Zoals gezegd varieert het vervolgens tussen vrolijke beatnummers a la the Beatles en verhalende countryfolk a la Dylan. Er komen nog een handvol semi-bekende nummers voorbij, maar het hoogtepunt is wel echt aan het begin. Alles bij elkaar opgeteld kabbelt het iets te veel, maar een goede 3,5 geef ik hier graag voor. Die ik afrond naar boven vanwege de iconische gitaarriff van de tamboerijnman
Beatles Lite.
This was fine.
Were a lot of people vibing with the Byrds? Here’s our one guitar tone we’re sticking to. Uh. Here’s the same song and mediocre production. I just don’t get it.
It's got the spirit of Dylan but not the whiny complaints.
Generally can't go wrong with jangly guitars and great harmonies for me, except when it they get a little too twee on a couple of tracks which means not full marks
5 Byrds albums on this list apparently which seems a little...de trop. Probably too many covers on this one, and naming your album after someone else's song does seem to be taking liberties..great version though! The rest is OK I s'pose but giving an extra star or two here as out of all 1,001 albums this is probably the only one to name-drop my home town.
This album was the undoubtedly my gateway drug to folk rock in my student years and holds fond memories for me. McGuinn’s “jingle-jangle” guitar lays down a distinctive sound throughout and despite there being a hefty number of cover versions, The Byrds manage to place their own stamp on them. Still, there are plenty of hints of Gene Clark’s songwriting craftsmanship, and I’m id argue that “I knew I’d want you” stands up well against The Beatles’ early output, being one of my favourite songs of that era. A treat to revisit this after many years.
Bit samey. I don't think there was any outstanding tracks.
It's just a jolly Bob Dylan cover album and that's not a bad thing.
3.5
(8.83) ★★★★
Good jangly 60s pop songs, but the Dylan covers are clearly best. 3.5 stars
3.5/5
I'm at 3.5 on this. I think the title track and "Feel a Whole Lot Better" are pretty awesome, but outside of "Feel a Whole Lot Better", the other originals on the album are kind of meh or at the very least they're overshadowed by the Dylan covers.
4.5
Relatively good debut for the 60s containing at least a trio of the best recordings for the decade. Title track opener is a supreme bit of jingle jangle - Dylan done decently. And I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better is absolutely class as well. Compared to these soaring highs the rest of the album does come off as a bit dodo like. All I Really Wanna Do Plus being the main other main catchy number. We’ll Meet Again closer is super corny and would have been best left to Vera Lynn. 3.5 all things considered but 4 for here because of the supreme highlights.
8/10
A1 Mr. Tambourine Man - 10 A2 I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - light 9 A3 Spanish Harlem Incident - decent 7 A4 You Won't Have to Cry - decent 7 A5 Here Without You - lite 7 A6 The Bells of Rhymney - lite 9 B1 All I Really Want to Do - strong 8 B2 I Knew I'd Want You - lite 7 B3 It's No Use - decent 7 B4 Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe - decent 7 B5 Chimes of Freedom - strong 8 B6 We'll Meet Again - lite 8 Favourite 3 Tracks - 1. Mr. Tambourine Man 2. The Bells of Rhymney 3. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - NOTE RATINGS ARE FROM A FIRST LISTEN - SCORE - 7.8/10
fine - definitely 60s
*Dylan covers are ok, but on the whole the album feels like an historical document.
Ppppppfffffffffttttttt. Is all I can say about this kind of music. It’s not doing anything to make me dislike it, but it sure as hell isn’t doing anything to make me like it, either. The makeup is characterised by Dylan covers, including the title track, which would be nice if I hadn’t heard the era-defining folk rock original before. Other covers are nice enough, with We’ll Meet Again being a weird-ish choice. It’s over in 30 minutes, which is an upside as it’s short and sweet - but it could easily be shorter and sweeter if limited to about 25 minutes instead. Once more, it’s alright. It’s just... alright.
Fantastic album. I listened to it several times today.
THIS is how the Byrds started?? Covering Bobby D?? It's a bit of a cheat way to get big, but the cover is rather good. The sound is driven by the interplay of guitars while lush vocal harmony blankets the rest of the bands instruments. While the album is good listen and obviously a big influence stylistically, it doesn't need to be on this list while three of their better albums are 2.5/5
people always talk about how The Byrds invented jangle pop with their "Mr. Tambourine Man" cover, but for the record, they also perfected it on "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better". as a whole, the album captures this youthful energy that makes it feel like the direct connection between the folk of the Greenwich Village and the teenybopper bubblegum bullshit of the late 60's and early 70's. what separates the Byrds from your Buddah Records schlock is the genuine heart they put into all of these melodies. even the "We'll Meet Again" cover, however cheesy it may seem, is trying to do something a bit more interesting with the melody than Vera Lynn. honestly, i think this is the perfect sound for a band to achieve on their first try. what a swing.
didn't grip me
In the jingle jangle boring, am I right?! I am mostly or partly right. These are not Bob Dylan's best songs, especially the ones that Bob Dylan didn't write. Compared to the first half of Bringing It All Back Home, which was released a few months earlier, these takes are wimpy. "I wore my fringe like Roger McGuinn," Edwyn Collins once sang, "I was hoping to impress. So frightfully camp, it made you laugh." Well, this is all fringe: floppy and wispy with nothing to hold on to. Tellingly, Jack Ashford, the tambourine player for the Funk Brothers, wouldn't make his most significant contributions until the following year: I Heard It Through The Grapevine; You Can't Hurry Love; Going To A Go-Go. This is the dancing spell that the Byrds (and even Dylan) fail to cast. Now that sound is something both limber and robust. The Byrds even manage to take the groove out of the Bo Diddley Beat on Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe - there's a tambourine, but no dancing spell! Although I enjoyed some of the record innocently enough (I Knew I'd Want You), ending on a terrible version of We'll Meet Again is throwing down the gauntlet. I'll meet the Byrds again, but probably not this record. 2.5 This bored the arse off me. Every track is the same smothering cloud of tambourine, jangly guitar, flaccid drums and edgeless vocals. Mr Tambourine Man is a great, great song and this zombified version is somehow widely preferred to Dylan’s. I always find it an alienating shock to contemplate that. What is wrong with people? Dylan wrote four terrific verses. The Byrd reduced it to one verse and they sang that one horribly; their decision to castrate its last line by pausing before ‘I promise to go under it’ and squaring out the phrase where Dylan barrelled ahead with magic effect to create the song’s best moment is incomprehensible. I can’t even talk about what they did to We’ll Meet Again. The Byrds are monsters. 1.5/5
Pretty light stuff. Granted, the early-to-mid ‘60s isn’t necessarily my period (I mean, with the exception of jazz, Stax, Motown, some really cool Country, etc. etc.). It’s not their fault that the studio made them record so many covers. However, given the lack of strength of the originals, I’m not sure a whole album of originals would’ve been so much better.
Fine and cute but nothing too special. I understand that cover versions were extremely significant particularly in this era for spreading songs and inter-promoting artists etc. but honestly I’d just rather listen to the originals most of the time. Favourite was I’ll Feel a Whole Better, which is an enjoyable original.
This project really is teaching me an appreciation for the nuanced types of music I had previously thought of as 'men with guitars'. I disliked very much the last 'men with guitars' album, but this was delightful and melodic group of men with guitars. Big fan of the eponymous tambourines and beautiful harmonies. A strong 3.9.
Good Byrds
Bland
American Beatles ahh
The Byrds. You know you're listening to them. Middle of the road entertainment. The first true 'background' music? And yet nothing awful.
Solid album. Cool jangly Guitars and harmonies
This is alright, tickled me to hear Americans singing about Merthyr and Newport
Not bad.
I don't think that i will ever listen to it again. More enjoyable than any of the albums that i've given a "3". This one is a "3+".
Highly innovative in their time, of course; but what stands out about listening to this album now is how comfortable and familiar it all seems.
Generally not a fan of a good deal of old albums as i find them mostly boring and generic but this one was really good!
Beatles vibe with an easier listening experience in my opinion
звучало веселее
What a disappointment. If this is America's answer to the Beatles, you guys didn't understand the question.
This was a chill one. The Byrds are always consistent, this one is a little one note for me, but still a strong point of view and style.
C’est sympathique mais il y a quelque chose qui m’ennuie profondément chez les Byrds, peut être les harmonies vocales étonnamment plates, ou juste la voix nonchalante et assez quelconque du chanteur principal, le jeu de guitare semblable du début à la fin, les tambourins très envahissants sur certains titres, le fait que leur tube le plus connu soit une reprise sans intérêt d’une très bonne chanson (y a 4 reprises de Dylan sur cet album? et d’autres encore?). “I’ll feel a whole lot better” est pas mal. Sans doute que chaque chanson individuellement vaut mieux que le tout tellement l’ensemble se noie dans une grande soupe de guitare 12 cordes, tambourins et harmonies vocales.
This was super easy to listen to and fun, no particular favorites but I’ll be back
Solid album, I didn’t realize so many of the songs were covers.
Listened Before? N These guys were a great bridge between mainstream pop and psychedelic rock in the 60s. Mostly cover songs here, putting their own spin on them. I enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: All I Really Wanna Do
just didnt do anything for me
If this was the American answer to the Beatles.................woof. It mildly recovered on the 2nd side, but there just felt like there was nothing redeeming. It honestly felt like the Crosby record, where they had a sound (yesyes the jangly guitar was great) but they couldn't actually write a song. Maybe on future plays it'll get a little better, but really only giving this a three because I like the sound and the back half mildly recovered. If this was a genre i didn't like.......eeek
I was very happy to see this one come through. Absolutely one of my favorite bands from that time period. Love this album. Mr Tamborine Man has always been one of my favorite songs whether listening to the original Dylan or listening the Byrds cover.
Un album mid pero interesante que refleja mucho la época de Dylan y los Beatles.
A couple of nice enough songs and very inoffensive and easy to listen to, however, not much of note
Better than Dylan on the Dylan songs. Was enjoyable. Would be a good background album for the chill early [part of a 60s themed party
Grand.
I quite liked it, but I can't say I plan to listen to it in full again.
Nice enough but better 60s music out there
It good but I definitely won't listen again, not for me
So this is a cover album? What's that doing on this list?
auch schon in die Jahre gekommen, aber noch gut hörbar
i mean its a cool album, ive heard about the byrds a long time ago, but didnt listen to their music until today, and ive gotta say theyre pretty good
Grade so drei. MTM ist gut aber nicht von ihnen.
Enjoyed this. Sounds a lot like Rubber Soul which is one of my favourite Beatles albums. Like the jangly guitars and vocal harmonies, The Byrds certainly have a distinctive sound Docked a star because it's mostly covers
Fresh and new sounding, this is the record that feels most like an “American Beatles.” First cuts are letter perfect and the whole thing exudes warmth and humanity, especially "Bells of Rhymney" and "Chimes of Freedom" and "We'll Meet Again." If you like jangle, this seems more or less the creation of it. Nobody did Dylan better, as we all know.
3.8.
I am normally not one for covers, but these were kind of better than the original. I love the sound of a 12 string guitar, too. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Definitely a British invasion band from the 60's.
One of the first attempts at opposing the British invasion frankly sounds like shit. But that's probably just because no-one knew how to mix and master this type of music in 1965. The vocal harmonies and solid song choices more than makes up for it, especially the original 'It's No Use' and the cover of Dylan's always excellent 'Chimes of Freedom'.
Does an album require more than Dylan covers and great vocal harmonies to be really good? Apparently not.
2.6 Wiki seems to think they're more inspired by Dylan than Beatles but to me it just sounds like a complete Hard Days Night era rip-off. Doesn't help that half the songs are covers, something that always turns me off albums on this list. Overall inoffensive, to the point of being rather dull.
Actually really enjoyed this. When I saw the album, I did get them confused with the Yardbirds but quickly realised they were a different band. This album sounded great and you can really their influence from the Beatles. Some of the guitar work would’ve fit right in on Beatles for Sale or Rubber Soul. Overall a very enjoyable album!
2 Byrds albums so far and no Turn! Turn! Turn! A solid 3 this.
I’m going to be generous and throw out a 4 here. I like their version of Mr Tambourine Man, and some of the others were pretty good as well. Simpsons: Yes
Forgot to rate this immediately after listening yesterday, and I've forgotten most of the album already. Think it was alright. Standard old rock music.
It was quite a nice album to listen to whilst travelling to work. Also liked the cover of We’ll Meet Again
It was fine
Sounds kinda like early Beatles. Not bad but nothing really is a stand out track
American “British Invasion” rock mixed with some classic American folk sensibilities. I think it’s a nice, but doesn’t evoke much in me.
That Rickenbacker sound is so iconic and really enjoyed the US take on the British Invasion. I really never sat down and listened to this album in its entirety which is one of the reasons I started on the 1001 album adventure.
4.3/5
Thirstier than a fish in a desert.
cute
Sounds like demos of Beatles/Dylan that haven’t been fleshed out yet. Rating: 3.2
All these songs sounded more or less the same; like an extended Tambourine man. Not bad, would give 2.5 if I could, but gonna round down as I am unlikely to revisit.
Mr. Tambourine Man is fine for what it is, a jangly, folk-rock classic, but it’s not really my kind of listen. The harmonies and Dylan covers are solid, but it doesn’t quite grab me. A respectable album, just not one I'll be revisiting.
01) Mr. Tambourine Man - 10,0 02) I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - 8,0 03) Spanish Harlem Incident - 7,0 04) You Won't Have to Cry - 6,5 05) Here Without You - 7,0 06) The Bells of Rhymney - 6,5 07) All I Really Want to Do - 7,0 08) I Knew I'd Want You - 7,5 09) It's No Use - 6,5 10) Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe - 6,5 11) Chimes of Freedom - 6,5 12) We'll Meet Again - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,13 (71/100) Current ranking: 249/421 Here's The Byrds again, for the ten thousandth time... For a change, I know one song on this album, but it's not their original either, so... I really don't understand why we have to listen to every one of their albums. But hey, at least I can conclude that The Byrds are, in my opinion, really overrated...
Favourite song - She has a way
You can see the Beatles' influence, but in all its essence, this record does not bring anything new to the table, except for two or three catchy guitar riffs. I wouldn't say that the tracks are bad, but they do not spark any interest. Production-wise, the bass guitar stands out a lot.
A few classics even I have heard in here, and the rest are at least nice to have around when doing something else.
Typical Byrds: obsessed with the songs of Bob Dylan and the sound of jingly 12 string guitars. Same old, same old. How many Byrds albums are included in this list?
It was good, very 60’s. I prefer the Beatles, though.
Just because something was commercially successful in the era when there only like 5 bands and all they did was rip each other off and smoke the mildest pot and think they were tripping doesn't mean it's essential listening. As much as I like the Rickenbacker jangle, this doesn't hold up well at all. Sounds like if the Monkees were a Dylan cover band.
cool sound; beatles lite
The tambourine guy in this nand must had had a lot of sway in the group. Song, album title, and he's on every song. This is mostly standard fair 60s pop, though it gets a lot of leg work from their falsetto harmonizing. My favorites here are probably She Has a Way, We'll Meet Again, and Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe.
We have The Beatles at home
An American answer to the beetles for sure, although they would develop their own sound and become more psychedelic
Pleasant to listen to.
Solid Folk Rock. Standout songs: Ill feel a whole lot better All I really want to do We'll meet again
This album flew by, but not in the good way. More in the background music way. I prefer any other Byrds album to this, it's painfully alright music. Really only had 2 standout songs for me, the title track, and "Here Without You". I like the Byrds, but this album is just not very good
was enjoyable and uplifting 3.5 stars
Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut studio album by the Byrds, originally released in 1965. The Byrds are so legendary. That signature 12-string sound just hits different. This is their debut record, and while not as strong as their other releases, it's pretty damn good. You can definitely hear the seeds of Psychedelic rock being planted. This is also one of the albums that basically invented folk rock. I do think they relied a bit too much on Dylan covers on this record, which brings the score back a little bit. They were perfectly capable of making original hits. See "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", one of my favorite 60s pop tracks.
December 17, 2024 saving the jangliest for last, it's Byrds no. 5 (...no. 5) “Feel a Whole Lot Better” is one of my favourite songs from the 60’s So they CAN release consistently great albums! Very much stays in its lane, though as I already know from Notorious Byrd Brothers and Younger Than Yesterday, they pretty quickly find ways to expand on the formula. Speaking on that latter album, I was kinda dismissive of it but it might be my favourite Byrds now lol
Well, here we are! “Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds is the album that had a significant influence on the evolution of folk rock and what we now call jangle pop. It’s fascinating that a simple ’60s pop song, where a dude does a “jingle ma jig” type thing on his guitar and adds some straightforward, catchy lyrics about a jingle and a jangle, can go on to create a whole new genre of music. This album paved the path for timeless bands like R.E.M., The Smiths, The Go-Betweens, The Chills, The Church, Teenage Fanclub, and many others. Initially, I would give the album a 3.5, but considering its cultural impact and the legacy it left for years to come, I’ll round it up to a 4. Overall, the album is fun, lighthearted, and easy to listen to. It’s definitely worth a spin for any true fan of music. Its influence on future generations of musicians cannot be overstated.
one of the more bearable byrds albums but thats like saying a turd is less stinky than others
Nothing about this would make me want to listen to it again
Enjoyable
This was Ok, but the Gene Clark penned songs were pretty lame. They have a nice sound, though. Strong mid 60-s left/right stereo separation.
It’s ok
An all timer
Amazing Folk Rock Roots.
nothing stands out to me sound wise but the cover does go hard
It’s okay. Full-on early hippie, jangly pop. There’s a couple of cute songs, but mostly, the singer has a real Sonny Bono style.
Most of the songs sound the same as each other and it's all folk. Just a really boring listen.
Jingy jangly. I like the guitar but many of these songs song samey. It’s nice tho
This is some fun little rock n roll.
not bad but not too great
Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Mr. Tambourine Man.
Неплохо, не без проблем
Good album.
It's like Beatles Rubber Soul era
Decent album, but the best song on there will always be a Dylan song for me.
Fun folksy rock and roll. Recognized a few of the songs. Worth a listen or two.
Посредственность.
this list needs more byrds albums i think
Favorite Track: Mr. Tambourine Man
An easy classic
Some cute little folk rock with some solid covers, but doesn't move me too much.
Jingly jangly excellence. I love it. Five stars and an addition to my Tidal library.
The music from this era just feels so dated.
All aboard the hippie love train
A pleasant venture into nostalgia land. But they are mostly covers and not a lot of differentiation.
While Roger McGuinn's jangly guitar is clearly a defining feature of the Byrds, their harmonies are on another level. The first two tracks are magic (I might even suggest "Mr. Tamborine Man" rivals "Watchtower" as the most compelling cover of a Dylan tune). I felt the material fell off a bit from the opening, but the sound and import of the album never wavers, and for that it gets the 4 stars. I'm a little put off that there are five Byrds albums on the 1001 list, that seems excessive, but as a chronicle of the band's debut, this is a welcome inclusion.
i enjoyed this listen more than I have in the past. Maybe I needed to hear their sunny harmonies as we plunge into a dystopian nightmare. Not every song hits, but enough of them did. I think The Byrds are overrated. But only a bit.
Psychedelia that’s sweet and harmonic. Always adored this album
Kinda repetitive.
Title track is nice and we'll meet again is famous.
After Bob Dylan blurred the lines between folk and rock, the Byrds walked into the space created and defined "folk rock." Appropriate that their first single, and first album's title, was a Dylan cover. The band's other popular single on the album, "All I really Want to Do," is another Dylan cover. The Byrds distinct 12-string guitar leads and layered harmonies made folk rock into a dominant part of pop music of the mid to late 60's. These songs sound of the 60's "hippie counterculture," and all of the diverse music the band has inspired in the decades that followed.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 📸🐟👁️ Production: 🔊🥴🔊 Music: 🎶👨🎤🎸🌅✨🤷♂️ Rating: 🐦🦅(🦆)/5
A couple great songs
A solid record that contains the Byrds’ charm, but it was clear they were still almost entirely riding off their influences
I knew a lot of these songs and both the ones I knew and the others were great. That jangly guitar is so classic to my ears and I love their vocal harmonies. Really groovy 60's vibe to the whole thing and lots of fun to listen to, but only really palatable in small doses for me (i.e. I only listened to the album once through and then was happy to hear something else). Four stars.
Pretty good, but very repetitive
This isn't my taste, as a generally don't like folk, it's a little too "pretty" for me. That said, this album is chock full of classics, and it's a lot easier to listen to these guys play these songs than it is to listen to Bob Dylan singing them.
Best leuke muziek, maar weinig origineel, en veel hetzelfde
Classic harmonies and guitar sound.
Jingly Jangly Pop. What's not to love?
80% Best: Mr. Tambourine Man; I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better; All I Really Want to Do; Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe; Chimes of Freedom Must-Hear? Not quite. It's a solid record and I get why it was so influential, but listen to what it inspired instead.
It was jolly
Good folk rock
This one was on the right listen, I think I liked one or two songs but nothing that is going to make it into the rotation
Mr. Tambourine Man, released just months after Dylan’s original, took his folk masterpiece and electrified it, introducing the Byrds’ signature jangly 12-string sound. The title track became an iconic hit, marking a pivotal shift in American music by blending folk lyricism with rock energy, and providing inspiration for acts like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Tom Petty. Naming an album after a cover song feels odd today—almost like releasing an album called Stairway to Heaven, Bohemian Rhapsody, or Sweet Child O' Mine. But in 1965, this approach didn’t hinder The Byrds; if anything, it amplified their impact. And yet, the original material, despite making up just 1/3 of the album, represents some of the highlights of Mr. Tambourine Man. Gene Clark’s "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is undeniably catchy and showcases the band’s potential beyond covers, while "You Won't Have to Cry" and "Here Without You" offer a softer, introspective side that hinted at the Byrds’ coming growth. Lyrically, these originals may lack the depth of Dylan’s work, but they form a strong foundation for the band. Later albums would see deeper, more ambitious lyrics as Chris Hillman and David Crosby contributed more, but these early tracks are solid and enjoyable, if somewhat formulaic in their sound. While the jangly sound can be repetitive, it helps maintain the album's cohesion. Today, Mr. Tambourine Man might seem a bit quaint or one-dimensional to listeners accustomed to more experimental folk rock. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the impact of Mr. Tambourine Man, even if it’s more a starting point than the Byrds’ creative peak. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? Historically yes, musically The Byrds made better records Would this release make my personal list? No Will I be listening to it again? Sure, occasionally.
It’s ok, but it feels like an inferior combination of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. 7/10
Not really my thing. Had to be there probably.
Really enjoyed that toe-tapping sound of the sixties!
Ei napannut sitten yhtään.
Hokey and earnest but good.
There are some good songs on here but I don't know if this album has a place in this book. I think the argument is the sound the Byrds are making here and not the music you hear the sound through. I say this because there are 3-4 iconic songs on here with some filler. I could hear them working out their sound on songs like Here Without You and It's No Use. The Byrds definitely piggybacked on Dylan's popularity with the large amount of covers they did of his songs. I don't know if it is a bad thing, yet I do know Younger Than Yesterday is a better representation of the band (in my opinion). If you enjoy their big hits I don't know if this album is going to bring you anything different that you need to hear.
Excepțional, really good vibes
Pretty good mix and recording
"The material on the album mostly consists of cover versions of folk songs, primarily composed by Bob Dylan" *Edit to remove swearing* really? No stars if I could. Plus one star for making Bob Dylan songs sound better. Why did I have to listen to that. Take all your tambourines and *edit to remove vulgar language*.
Very pleasant if a bit samey. Good background music I would say.
Hm, Hippie-Mucke. Bei der Gitarre musste ich sofort an The Searchers und Needles And Pins denken. Oder war es Use The Man von Megadeth? :) Ansonsten ist der Titeltrack natürlich ein Smash Hit, der Rest plätschert aber ohne große Unterschiede so vor sich hin.
all the songs sounded the same
Samey and boring . Clean cut young white people who your gran would have loved. Cant stand this. Hippy shit - glad no one even thinks making this horrible bland music is a good idea any more
This is a great album by The Byrds! The depth of arrangement and the jangle in tone make this a n enormous classic
Thought about 5 but actually a very solid 4 I reckon. Still hearing the influence of some stuff on hear in the 2010s Best track - Bells Of Rhymney
Perfectly fine folk based Beatles style rock, but absolutely not my jam.
Nice jangly guitar sound, but they all start to sound the same after a while. Other bands (or Bob Dylan) do better versions.
Can you imagine being the type of person who’d start this record and then listen to “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” eleven times in a row before letting the album continue? I can, because that’s exactly what I did.
Beatles wannabe
I mean it’s fine but I feel like I’ve heard this album 10 times on this list already
Not inspired to make any comments
Fine
Love the harmonies. Already in my library.
It was fine. Nice background music but not doing anything to stand out for me
Can hear so many bands who followed in this. From Springsteen to Petty to Wilco to others.
It's good. It's not my normal jam, and it's not clean like the Beetles. But it's good and I can listen to it over and over without complaint.
Too much jingle jangle for my taste.
D- Birds spelt wrong.
Not bad. Nice background music
Very 60's folksy-happy-shiny-bright
This is entirely fine. I it is very of its era, and that’s not a bad thing, but I don’t think that, for me, it quite rises above the glut of similar bands of that time.
I do like their version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” but that’s the first track. After that it’s generic 60s pop that I’m increasingly becoming exhausted by. 2/5
If I were one of the boys that don't finish their vegetables, 10 seconds of this would be enough Some songs might not have been that bad, but I shed a tear or two from yawning too hard
If not for the fact that this was released 1965 I wouldve thought that this was an album of all covers I guess it doesnt sound that bad for 1965 but we live in the modern times now, gramps, it doesn't hold up anymore
Generic and forgettable 60s album
I've gotten a surprising amount of Byrds through this list. I guess it makes sense, with their membership through the years and the fact that Dylan wrote quite a few songs for this record. I find myself enjoying it, with all its bubblegum psych-pop. I can usually pick out the Dylan-written tracks, and find myself enjoying those more. It's a relaxing, unchallenging album, nothing wrong with that. Favorite tracks: "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", "Chimes Of Freedom", "All I Really Wanna Do"
Reminded me of the Kinks
Don't hate it, don't love it. Basically uninterresting.
The most neutral pretty 60s folk rock, close your eyes and imagine "60s folk rock" and this plays. At the time, the concept of folk rock was new and astounding amd the Byrds obviously are chockablock with influential characters from music history! A few generations later, this is just a nice collection of mostly covers.
How a group became a legend after a cover. They perfectioned and invented folk rock.
Quite Bealtesque which I like more than the county direction they go into in their works.
jangle
Dig it Man! Folk Rock.
Iconic!
Sounds very nice with excellent vocal harmonies and that recognisable guitar sound. Great songs too but (because) most of them are covers incl. Bob Dylan's. Their own material is a bit limited and (I've done some background reading) some of the songs (incl. Tambourine Man) are played by session musicians rather than the band themselves. So, even though I liked listening to this album, I can't give it a very high score. If they had composed and played all of the songs themselves it would have been a 4 or a 5.
It listens like a little grittier version of Simon & Garfunkel, where, with the jangly guitar, they're going for a bit more Beatles- and Dylan-esque sound. It's not unpleasant, but the Byrds would be doing better things down the track.
Title track is most recognized, bit they all have the same overall sound with the vocal harmonies and the jangling guitar sound.
Never really been a huge fan.
Bra 60 tals rock, kivoga melodier
Jangly folky music. It wasn't bad but all songs sounded the same. Stand-out: I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
Mr. Tambourine Man I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better All I Really Want to Do Chimes of Freedom
This sounds pretty decent for a few songs but man it starts to drag. 2/5
Cool 12 string intros to many songs. A bit droney for my tastes. Decent vocal harmonies, which always add to the quality of a tune or album for me.
Jingle jangle jingle jangle jingle jangle. Nice harmonies. A bit one paced.
Beatles mallista musiikkia. Ei paljon muuta sanottavaa. Parhaat: It's No Use
Great band from the 60’s. Classic hits.
Good but very 60s. Not timeless.
Solid album. There was a lot to like on this album. The production especially was a highlight for me and the good vocals made the album enjoyable to listen to. There wasn't anything that I found extraordinary about the album but I'd much rather listen to this than something like Screamo. Best - Mr. Tambourine Man, I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, You Won't Have to Cry, All I Really Want to Do, and Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe Worst - No bad songs 3.50/5
2.5 fine not unpleasant but boring
I didn't realise who these guys are until I heard the first song than realised that's probably the only song of theirs that I know. Unfortunately as the album went on, it just felt repeative with different lyrics.
Boring
Not a bad record, but showing them off through other people’s songs. They will come into their own later, so not sure why nearly every Byrds album belongs on the list.
Great Tunes.
I was looking forward to this but I left disappointed. Nothing really was that interesting on this album. I much prefer their later work than the jangly, middle of the road tunes on this record. Good effort for their debut record.
has nothing on william shatner tbh highlights: i’ll feel a whole lot better, spanish harlem incident (aug 18 2024)
I love the Byrd's as an artist. No one can argue that they perform great songs which are in many ways timeless. Their albums don't appeal to me. They feel disjointed with a few hitsongs surrounded by run of the mill filler. Mr. Tambourine is unfortunately not different
6.5
Lovely warm sound but not the most interesting album I've heard from them
Ah more 60's rock! I can't complain too much because this is a debut album from an American rock band. Even so, this felt like a lot of the other albums we have listened to. I'd argue it would have played better if we had heard this towards the beginning of this journey, not the end.
Our fifth (!) album from the Byrds, and it's their debut. A good chunk of it is covers, and Dylan covers to be precise. Those happen to be my favorites, because I already love those songs. Otherwise, a lot of this sounds like imitative Beatles music. Obviously their sound evolved from here, and this one's decent, but we don't need it here frankly. Five from the Byrds and two from Gene Clark solo (so far), who needs all of that on here? This is our 999th album, so the end is in sight, at least until we start doing user submissions. But I look forward to crafting my own version of this list when it's all said and done. The Byrds will be there, but certainly not 5 times. Favorite tracks: All I Really Want to Do, Chimes of Freedom, Mr. Tambourine Man (perfect place for a Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, and Dylan joke). Album art: Fisheye shot of the band. That's it really. Text is very of-the-era, black framing is a strong, bold choice. But overall, forgettable cover. 3/5
Urgh. So far my favourite thing about the album is the cover art. Half of these songs are covers??
Pleasant enough, but not something I'm in a hurry to revisit.
#309. Pleasant enough, easy to listen to hippie music. 3/5: acceptable Song added to playlist: Mr. Tambourine Man I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
They don't seem differentiated from each other much which makes the whole album feel pretty samey fairly quick and thus fairly forgettable.
Solid, all 2 minute songs, poppy/folk of the 60s
I'm so goddamn tired of Byrds albums
Classic songs on this. But it's dated.
Nice for the evening
I honestly just didn’t see what was so special about them. To me they didn’t have any sort of oomph that made them incredible. I recognize that they were some of the first to sound like this however I see so distinction and nothing that truly impressed me.
The electric jangly 12-string has rarely worked for me with anyone. Which was sorta The Byrds' jam, and likely the major reason I've never been able to connect at all with them. There's absolutely nothing offensive or unlistenable, and it's probably unfair and impossible to detach from the time period (1965) and how revolutionary this band and sound were. The simple and syrupy vocals are impressive yet completely unmoving to me. Technically...yes...nice harmonies. But how can it all be so dull. Gimme CSN. Nostalgically it's sorta nice to hear the big singles (first 2 tracks) so familiarity probably wins some points here - I feel like it's a personal 2 since I'd never put this on but it's undeniably filled with melodic songs and it feels a little lame to not acknowledge the impact so I'll give it a reluctant and honourary 3 and move on. 7/10 3 stars.
Good old time band
Great album. Had no idea Tom Petty covered Feel a Whole Lot Better
2.5 ehhhh
Uninspiring, but relaxed. Maybe if I was born in the 60s -- or maybe if I had more time to care -- this album would be my favorite. But, I was born in 2003 and I'm studying engineering, so instead, this album sits at three stars.
This started off strong but then petered off pretty quickly. Hard to rate this very high when the best songs are Dylan covers, and it really feels dated now, but it was fine for what it was.
A classic album, but a little too 60s-ish for me.